The AAAS Atlas of Population and Environment is an important analysis of the relationships between human population and the environment. Illustrating through text, maps, and diagrams how population factors such as rates of growth, density, movement, and resource consumption, along with the use of certain technologies, affect the world's ecosystems and natural resources both in the short and long term, the Atlas brings together a wealth of information from the most up-to-date sources. In view of the profound significance of these issues as we enter the new century, this accessible resource will be an invaluable tool for individuals, academics, governments, and corporations.

The Atlas draws on research and data from a number of academic institutions and international organizations, including the United Nations, its specialist organizations and agencies; the World Resources Institute; the Center for International Earth Sciences Information Network; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; U.S. Geological Survey; and the UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Using sophisticated mapping and graphic techniques, it provides quantitative analyses of the important links between such factors as human population density, rates of growth, migration, resource consumption, and technologies, and the state of the global environment. While the impact of people on the environment may have seemed intuitively obvious in the past, the Atlas makes accessible a wealth of badly needed empirical evidence that will be invaluable for both specialists and general readers.

This pathbreaking book tackles the difficult job of connecting the social and natural sciences to provide a thorough analysis of the interplay between population and the environment. Its interdisciplinary approach brings a unique comparative perspective to the discussion and makes it pertinent to a broad range of disciplines.

About the author (2000)

Paul Harrison's publications include The Greening of Africa (1987) and The Third Revolution (1992). He has also written extensively for various United Nations agencies. In 1998 he was awarded the United Nations Environment Programme's Global 500 Award for outstanding contributions to the environment. Fred Pearce's work appears regularly in New Scientist, The Independent, and The Times Higher Education Supplement. His publications include Turning Up the Heat (1989) and The Dammed (1994). He has also written frequently for international agencies including UNEP and UNESCO. Peter Raven is Director of the Missouri Botanical Gardens and President of the AAAS.